Getting under your skin
Skin. It’s like some sort of amazing washable, flexible and self-repairing fabric for our bodies. You’ve probably heard the surprising fact that skin is the winner of Largest Organ Award. Removed and laid flat, it takes up about 20 square feet! Random trivia aside, there’s much more to find out about skin. A whole industry has been built around this incredible organ and knowing how it works means you can take better care to keep yours healthy.
What does skin do?
The skin is one heck of a multitasking organ. While it’s primary purpose is to act like a watertight barrier, protecting our inside things from the outside world and bacterial invasion, it does a bunch of other important stuff.
Skin keeps our body temperature in check, secretes sebum (oil) and produces melanin (melanin gives our skin colour) and Vitamin D. It also eliminates waste and thanks to our skin, we can feel sensations - hot, cold, touch, pain, etc.
Your skin is a reflection of the wellness of your body and mind and happy, healthy people have enviously glowy skin. On the other hand, lifestyle and health stressors can dehydrate skin, affecting the colour and overall appearance. Sometimes you can tell if someone has had a rough week just by looking at their skin.
There are 3 different layers of the skin, Epidermis, Dermis and The Hypodermis or Subcutaneous Layer.
The Epidermis; the first layer (surface)
The skin you can see all over your body is called the epidermis. It provides a waterproof layer of protection for the body - like the best raincoat ever - and creates the colour of your skin tone.
The epidermis is made up of 5 layers and responsible for producing new skin cells. The newbie cells start in the deepest layer of the epidermis, the basal layer, and wiggle their way up through the other layers to the surface. With each layer they get older and older until eventually, they reach the outermost layer - the stratum corneum - where they die and are sloughed off. This cycle takes about 30 days.
Getting your gentle exfoliation on regularly will help polish away those dead skin cells sitting on top of your epidermis to reveal the younger, fresher skin beneath. With gentle powders of sandalwood and orange peel working in tandem, our Face Mud delivers effective exfoliation that is gentle enough for everyday use. Hello there, brighter skin cells!
The Dermis; the second layer
Located below the epidermis is the dermis. The thickest of all three skin layers, the dermis is like a flexible scaffolding for the skin, giving it structure and support.
It’s made up of collagen and elastin, fibres that make your skin stretchable and resilient. Collagen and elastin are responsible for keeping your skin toned and wrinkle free. As time ticks by, these two begin to break down and loosen their hold on your skin.
Skincare targeting this area will stimulate the collagen growth and using products to keep your skin well hydrated will also create an environment where collagen and elastin can thrive. Our divine Elixir serum is packed full of Vitamin C which promotes collagen and elastin health while Jasmine brings the hydration. While you’re applying Elixir, get busy giving yourself a facial massage which has also been found to stimulate collagen.
The Hypodermis or Subcutaneous; the third layer
The Hypodermis is like an anchor, the layer than holds the skin and underlying muscles together. So what’s inside the hypodermis? The hypodermis is mostly comprised of subcutaneous fat, which makes up about 50 percent of all body fat. This fat protects, cushions and insulates the body.
Your hair follicles are also located here along with some additional sebaceous glands, helping condition your hair and skin.
Whilst we could write another 50 pages, we'll conclude todays lesson here! We hope you’ve learnt a little more about amazingly hardworking skin and the importance of taking care of yours.
